Lesson to the Proud
by The Fire Rain Alchemist
Summary: This is the story of a human girl. A human girl who hated cats. When she goes on a camping trip with her cousins, she wishes that all cats would just die. Hearing her spiteful words, StarClan decides to teach her how wrong she is. ON HIATUS.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors. Though it would be pretty awesome if I did...**

* * *

This is the story of a human girl.

A human girl who hated cats.

She had a reason, I suppose. Her parents cared more about their award-winning show cats than their only daughter, after all. Yes, I know, sad but true.

She was a pretty girl of fourteen. She had shoulder-length chocolate brown hair with a bright pink stripe on the left side. Her eyes were an almost violet color, vivid and her most impressive feature. But of course, her parents had much rather discussed their Russian Blue's green ones.

Her beginning began to end when her uncle decided to take her and her cousins camping. Initially she had been against this, but when she realized it got her away from her parents, she started packing.

* * *

Falene Juniper watched the trees that flew past her window with an air of indifference. She was mildly irritated by the sounds of her rowdy cousins, so she kept her eyes gazing at nothing.

"We're almost there!" her Uncle announced cheerily.

A frown pulled at the corners of her mouth. She had to make sure she behaved. It wasn't like she was a delinquent or anything, but she did have a tendency to do things to get attention. She didn't want to be sent home. Yes, she hated camping, but she hated those cats more. The fat Persian who shredded her shirts, and the Burmese that shredded _her._ Out of the ten cats at her house, not a single one hadn't destroyed something that belonged to her.

"Falene, what are you looking at?" A tiny voice chimed in her ear. She glanced once to her cousin Mabel before looking back out the window.

"Isn't it obvious?" The five-year-old continued to stare and Falene sighed. "Out the window."

"Why?"

"Because I feel like it."

"Why?"

"Ask one more time and you'll be feelin' it for a week, Mabel." Falene turned to glare at the little girl. It wasn't that she had a problem with Mabel. In actuality, she adored the little girl. Falene was just in a mood.

"Threatening people isn't nice, you know." Her other cousin, Dylan, admonished. She turned her withering stare to him.

"And you think I care?" Her almost violet eyes burned into Dylan's pale blue until the car jolted to a stop.

"And we're here!" Uncle Ned hopped out of the car. Aunt Jennifer, Mabel, and Dylan followed. Falene waited until everyone else was off before climbing silently out.

The campsite was set up quickly. A happy conversation sparked between Ned, Dylan, and Mabel. Aunt Jennifer was mute, but even she gave a certain flare to the conversation. Falene allowed herself a small smile as she felt her tension fade a little. Her cousins' laid-back attitudes coupled with Uncle Ned's humor always made her feel wanted, even when she was acting moody.

But even in her 'nice' state, Falene still held her extreme resentment towards cats, and that would throw her into something she never would've expected.

* * *

Five days into the family's trip, Falene was bored out of her mind. She sat on a rock, staring aimlessly into the trees. Several times her thoughts strayed to her parents and their _cats. They probably don't even notice a difference…_ Then she wondered which one of the ten was the 'favorite' that day. Probably the Bengal.

"Whatcha' doin'?" Mabel chimed, startling Falene off of her rock.

"Nothing."

"Well then how about we go exploring?" Dylan grinned.

"Yeah, maybe I'll find a bear to feed myself to." She answered (most people would've qualified her tone as happily, but there's no way she would ever admit to that).

"B-Bear?!" Mabel squeaked. A soft look came into Falene's eyes when she realized she had scared the girl.

"There aren't any bears around here. I was joking."

"O-Oh…" The girl still looked upset.

Falene got up and brushed leaves off her clothes.

"Okay, lead the way." A surprised look fluttered across Dylan's face.

"You don't want to lead?"

"You know as well as I do that I have no sense of direction." Falene rolled her eyes. She hated being told what to do, so it was natural that Dylan would be surprised. A light smile played across her lips. "Just this once though!"

Dylan's smile widened and he began to lead his way through the woods. Mabel grabbed for Falene's hand, and although she wasn't happy with the invasion of her space, she didn't shoo the child away. Many times Falene tripped over roots. _Jeez, I'm such a klutz…_ She thought irritably as she ran right into a low branch.

After several minutes of walking (and tripping), they came upon an abandoned house. Surprisingly, there was a thriving herb garden along the side. Falene had to stop Mabel from stepping into a puddle.

"Hey, Dylan, nice leading!" Falene let go of Mabel's hand and ran up to the house. "This is so cool! Help me look for a way in!"

Dylan looked around warily, not even caring that Mabel had attached herself to his arm. He bent down next to the herb garden, naming the plants as he went along. A few of the plants moved, causing the three kids to jump.

"Dylan, something's in the plants!" Mabel exclaimed and clung tighter to his arm. Falene brought her focus to where Mabel's finger was pointing. Sure enough, there were two bundles of fur crouched in the garden. Falene scowled.

"They're _cats._" The way she said it was akin to how most people say _cockroaches._ She bent over, picked up a small rock and threw it in the cats direction.

"Hey!" Dylan and Mabel objected.

The cats ran out of the bushes. One was a silver-gray tabby, the other a brown tabby. The brown tabby's amber eyes locked on her while the silver's shining blue gazed unseeingly past her.

"Go on, get , you stupid felines!" Another projectile flew their direction and they scattered. Dylan and Mabel were glaring at her.

"What?"

"That was a bit unnecessary, don't you think?" Falene's eyes burned into Dylan.

"Cats are stupid, pointless creatures. Why should I give a damn what happens to the? Hell, if you ask me, they can all just go die." Her poisonous words hung in the air a moment. Dylan's eyes were narrowed.

"I'm taking Mabel back to camp." Falene turned back to the abandoned shack.

"Whatever. I'm staying here a bit." She didn't move again until their footsteps had faded to nothing. She circled the house a few times, hoping for some way into the old building.

"You want every cat to die?" The voice was soft yet powerful and Falene nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of it.

"Who's there?" She twisted back and forth, looking for the source of the voice.

"Cats are the same as you. They live, they die, just like you. They feel pain, joy, betrayal, _loneliness_, just like you! And you have the audacity to believe yourself better!" This voice was different, but it had the same sound of power.

"You even dare threaten our Clanmates!" Finally, Falene had the sense to look down. Dozens of cats surrounded her. Each and every one, though normally colored, looked as though their pelts were dotted with stars. A single cat with blue-gray fur walked ahead of the rest until it was standing directly in front of her.

"Perhaps you should walk in another's pawsteps."

Falene's nerves exploded with pain and she fell to her knees. The last thing she saw was the she-cat's intense blue eyes.

* * *

**Well, there's the first chapter! And this is without a doubt going to have a lot of Jayfeather (though I'm starting when he was still Jaypaw), because I have a soft spot for the grumpy little kitty! ^-^**

**And there's probably going to be Hollyleaf hating, though I'm going to ****_try_**** to keep it to a minimum. **

**And tell me if any of the cats get really out of character, it's been a while since I last read any of the books and I don't feel like rereading them.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors. I do, however, own a pickle, of which I am eating now.**

* * *

When Falene opened her eyes, everything looked different, yet exactly the same. Things seemed sharper, colors more vivid. Her sight wasn't even hindered by the pink hair that covered her left eye.

"Ugh, my head is killing me…" She muttered. _My voice sounds different._ She went to put her hand on her forehead, but froze. In front of her eyes was a chocolate-brown cat paw. She tried wiggling her fingers and the toes on the paw moved.

"W-What the hell?" She tried pushing herself to her feet to find that 'standing up' meant wobbling on four paws and being _considerably _lower to the ground. She twisted in a circle to try to see herself, only to fall over. A long striped tail twitched next to her. A horrible feeling settled in her stomach when she realized that she could _feel _that tail. She waved it back and forth. _What kind of sick trick is this?!_

She made her way to the puddle from earlier, stumbling the whole time. She shrieked when she saw the creature reflected back to her.

A cat.

The cat was a rich chocolate with slightly lighter stripes. It's ears were long and pointed with tufts of fur at the tips. A swath of pink fur fell over the cat's left eye. The one eye that was clearly visible was a striking magenta. All in all, not a normal looking cat.

And that cat was Falene.

"No, no, no, no, no! This _cannot _be happening! I don't want to be some stupid cat!"

"You will remain one until you're lesson is learned." Falene wheeled in the direction of the voice, tripping over her new paws and landing in the dirt.

In front of her was the blue-gray she-cat, sitting tall with her tail-tip resting on her front paws.

"Who the hell are you and what did you do to me?!" The cat simply blinked her eyes as Falene seethed.

"Calm yourself." She ordered sternly. "You have brought this upon yourself, StarClan merely aided the process."

"Bullshit!" Falene's fur was standing on end, and she wasn't sure whether to be angry or scared of the cat in front of her. The cat practically gave off waves of 'listen to me or you'll regret it'.

The starry cat's eyes narrowed. "My name is Bluestar. I am speaking for the whole of StarClan when I say you have much to learn."

"What is this StarClan anyway?!" Fear, she decided. That was one scary cat.

"StarClan is where all Clan cats go when they die." She answered plainly. Falene's breath caught in her throat. "You will be a cat until you learn that cats feel what twolegs feel, and understand that you cannot categorize all cats with the cats that you have met."

"Yeah right!" Falene's anger boiled above her fear of the she-cat. "All cats are the same! They attack anything and everything for no reason! They're filthy, vicious, _evil!_" Bluestar looked over her shoulder, ignoring the insults to her species.

"I suggest you be polite to Leafpool and Jaypaw." Bluestar faded.

"Get back here you stupid cat!" She yowled. How could this happen to her? How was any of this even _possible?!_ She was still on the ground, not wanting another fail attempt at walking.

A rustling in the bushes brought Falene's thoughts away from the gray she-cat. Two cats stepped out of the bushes, both bristling with hostility.

Falene's ears flattened to her head when she recognized them as the same ones from earlier. A startled look came from the silver tabby as he backed away a few steps. The brown tabby, who Falene now realized was a she-cat, sent a fleeting look to the younger cat.

"Are you alright, Jaypaw?" If Falene had been standing, she would've fallen over. Did that cat just _talk?_ Then she mentally hit herself. The _non-starry_ cats talking had her freaked, but she had been fine with Bluestar! …Sorta.

The young tom shook himself. "I'm fine."

Obviously not satisfied with the answer, but deciding not to push, the tabby turned her attention back to Falene.

"What are you doing on ThunderClan territory?" The serious look in the she-cat's eyes told Falene this was no time to be hateful, despite the disgust she felt.

"I'm lost. I didn't realize this was anyone's territory." She did her level best to keep her voice calm.

"Can't you smell the markers?" The silver tom's condescending tone grated on the little tolerance Falene had left. She narrowed her eyes. An English lesson popped into her head.

"That's a logical fallacy, a loaded question , specifically. If I say no, than you doubt my ability. I say yes, and it means I was ignoring your precious scent markers." Best English class _ever_.

The best part was it seemed to throw both cats in for a loop.

"'Logical fallacy' or not, you're in our territory." The she-cat responded while the tom's tail lashed back and forth.

"And what if I decide to stay right here?"

"Then we'll have to force you out." There was a tiny, barely audible sound as the she-cat's claws unsheathed. The tom's quickly followed. _This isn't good._

Falene tried to push herself to her paws and only succeeded in falling down again.

"Damn it all!" She growled in frustration. Her ears pricked up as she heard claws sheath again. Falene tensed as the she-cat padded up to her. Falene scooted away on the ground, not willing to give standing another attempt. The she-cat came closer, sniffing and really creeping Falene out.

"Can't you walk?" The she-cat sounded confused.

"Evidently not."

"How did you get here if you can't walk?"

"Wonderful question, really." There were a few seconds of silence.

The she-cat seemed to be puzzling something in her head. Her amber stare made Falene shift uncomfortably. She didn't know how much longer she could stand being around these cats. Her tail twitched with irritation, and that only served to irritate her more. _Stay still you stupid tail!_

"Jaypaw, help me bring her to camp."

"But-"

"Jaypaw, _help me bring her to camp."_ The tone of the she-cat's voice halted the tom's objection instantly, though he continued to mutter under his breath. The tabby forced her up.

"Wh-What are you doing?!" Falene hissed. She didn't want any help, let alone some _cat's!_

"Helping you, mouse-brain…" the tom muttered. Falene wobbled and the two cats pressed their sides to hers.

"Lean on us." The she-cat ordered. "My name's Leafpool, and this is my apprentice, Jaypaw."

"…Falene." She was hesitant to tell these _cats_ her name, but she figured it would prevent a grilling later.

Grumbling the whole time, the two cats and one human-turned-feline worked their way through the forest. Falene seemed to trip over anything and everything in her path; most memorably Jaypaw's paws. When they made it to a well–made thorn barrier, it took several minutes to get Falene through. What was on the other side made her drop straight to the ground. Cats everywhere.

"Oh come on…" Falene breathed. Every set of eyes turned to stare at the spectacle that was Falene.

Leafpool stepped up behind her and bent down, whispering, "I'm going to speak to Firestar. Don't try to walk until I get back." Falene's ear twitched in response. Leafpool bounded away, up a few rocks, and into a crevice on the side of the stone hollow. Falene was forced to sit in the dirt, being stared at by feral felines. To most people, merely uncomfortable. To her, torture. One cat, a dark tabby tom, stepped up to her.

"Jaypaw, who is she and what is she doing here?"

"Beats me. Ask Leafpool, she's the one who insisted we bring her here." Jaypaw didn't look at the tom as he spoke, and this confused Falene. The tom was obviously a sort of authority figure, so why didn't Jaypaw look at him?

She shook her head. It wasn't that important right now. She looked up at the dark tom. His amber eyes sparkled with curiosity, though Falene refused to accept she could see it. Because that would be accepting seeing a _human_ emotion in cat. Besides, she was being stared at by cats. And it was _ticking her off_.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer." She growled.

"A what?" the cat's confusion was plain to see; And Falene was very happy about it.

"Nevermind."

The sound of a few loose pebbles clattering to the ground pulled both the tom and Falene's attention to the ginger cat hopping down the ledge. Leafpool was close at his heels, as well as another pale ginger she-cat.

…

…

_ Do cats even have heels? …Whatever, not important._ Falene dismissed the thought with a flick of her ear.

The tom padded straight up to her. She felt a small growl rise in her throat, but she swallowed it. He looked almost exactly like one of her parents' cats. The one that knocked her favorite, _signed by the author_ book in the toilet.

"I am Firestar, leader of ThunderClan. Leafpool tells me you are unable to walk, yet she found you within ThunderClan territory. Care to explain?"

"Would if I could, ginger. Why don't you ask Miss Sparkle-fur next time she shows?"

"Sparkle fur?" the dark tabby questioned.

"Called herself Bluestar or something like that." That caused an uproar from the cats watching, something akin to shock on their faces. But of course it couldn't be shock. They were merely cats!

"What did this cat look like?"

"Tch. Blue-gray fur, all glittery. Gray fur around her muzzle, blue eyes." _My parents would sell me to get a cat that looked like her. _

The cats nearest to Falene shared a look. The sound of the brush behind her rustling made her fur stand on end. She twisted to look at the cats emerging from the tunnel. First came a golden-brown tabby tom, who was followed by a slightly smaller black she-cat. Then a pale gray tom and a golden tabby tom. Their ears were back, hackles risen.

_And there are more cats._ Falene rolled her eyes.

When she got her hands on those sparkle-furs…

There was going to some _serious_ hell to pay.

* * *

***Crunch* So, what do you think? ****_I_**** think you should review and tell me!**

**Yeah, so I'm gonna try to make this one a bi-weekly update, because my main focus is my Fullmetal Alchemist fanfiction, Tears of Flame. (- Notice the shameless self-advertising!)**

**Tschüß, Auf Wiedresehen and Adios! FRA out!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors, I do own Falene.**

* * *

_Two. Hours._

She'd been trapped in this kitty-filled hell for _two hours._

She had been introduced to cat after cat for an hour straight, then just simply stopped.

Worse yet, they were about as happy to have her there she was to have them. The only cats who didn't glare at her were the kittens, and they were simply a nuisance. They would creep up next to her, only to be called away by their mothers.

The brown tabby she-cat, Leafpool, if Falene remembered correctly, walked up to her with something in her mouth. Falene's nose wrinkled up as she recognized it as a dead mouse.

"You must be getting hungry. Would you like a mouse?"

"I don't eat _rodent._" Falene must have imagined it, but she thought she saw Leafpool _frown._

"Oh. Is there something you do eat?"

"Got any chocolate?" She knew that chocolate was poisonous to cats, but on the off chance she could, and if they had any…

"What is 'chocolate'?"

"Forget it."

"Tell me if you get hungry. Also, you should try to stand every now and then to strengthen your legs."

"Whatever."

"I'm just trying to help."

"…" Falene looked away and set her head on her paws. "I'm going to sleep now."

"Alright." By the sounds of her pawsteps, Falene could tell she had left.

_Finally._ Maybe those cats would at least leave her alone while she was sleeping. She closed her now magenta eyes. How she hoped this was just a nightmare.

* * *

Falene was jolted out of her sleep by a sudden weight on her shoulders.

"Hey, miss rogue! Why is your fur pink?"

"Gettoffa me!" She slurred sleepily, squirming in an attempt to shake the kitten off of her back. A second she-kit was batting at the pink fur in front of her face.

"Why can't you walk?"

"Because!"

The little she-kit's big green eyes bored into her. "Why?"

"I don't know, I just can't."

The kit on her back, a black and white tom slid off of her. "Why?"

"I am not playing the 'Why' game with you two!"

The two kits exchanged a glance, then looked back at her, kitty eyes fully activated.

"_WHY?"_

"Would you just leave me alone?!"

The hurt on the kits faces was enough to make her feel bad. But she refused to let that sway her. A fluffy cream cat glared at her from the opening of the nursery.

"Rosekit, Toadkit! Get away from her." The she-cat ushered the kits away from Falene.

A white she-cat with ginger patches and a scarred face padded up to Falene.

"They're just kits! You know how they are."

"I don't care." Falene muttered. But a tiny bit did. A very, very tiny bit, mind you.

* * *

_"She was mean to kits? That's just wrong!"_

Ha, I'd have to agree. Not that you kits are all hugs and kisses.

_"All they did was jump on her though!"_

_"Shut up, Whisperkit! I want to hear the rest of the story!"_

I don't know what I was thinking when I named you Whisperkit.

Continuing.

* * *

The sun made it's way along it's sky route, and soon it was dark.

Hunger gnawed at Falene's belly, but she _would not_ eat some dirty mouse. Her ears were flattened against her head. A small group of cats was getting ready to leave the camp. Suddenly one of the queens, the mother of those two kits…

_Tulip… Rose… Marigold… Daisy? Some kind of flower…_

…came running up to the group.

"My kits! Rosekit and Toadkit are missing!"

Falene's ears perked. _Great. I've seen the TV shows. The new guy always is the first suspect._

Sure enough, the she-cat kept throwing glances at her. More cats began filtering out of their dens. In minutes, multiple search parties had been arranged and sent out. Only a few cats sat anxiously around the camp.

Falene heard their whispers. They thought she had something to do with it.

And Falene didn't care. Why should she care what cats think? Why should she care what would happen to a couple of dumb kittens? She would take a nap, and the kits would be back.

So she closed her eyes and slept.

* * *

_Rosekit and Toadkit sat quivering under a tree. Somewhere in the forest. North of ThunderClan territory. _The path there flashed in Falene's mind. She jolted awake.

The clearing was empty. She could hear the talking of queens in the nursery, and a few 'warriors' in the den.

What was that dream all about? … More importantly, why would she dream about those kits? Their disappearance wasn't any of her concern!

She sighed. She was going to have to do the right thing here, wasn't she?

But she wasn't going to like it.

She forced herself to her paws. She wobbled, but somehow her legs held. Though how she was going to get all the way to the border was beyond her. But she was going to try.

She stumbled her way through the thorn tunnel, leaving clumps of fur behind her. She pushed her way through bracken and weeds, just barely surviving the protruding roots.

"Shiz bucket." She muttered when she fell over yet another stick.

"I-is that the rogue, Toadkit?" A tiny voice whispered. Falene's ears flicked up.

"I don't know, are you the annoying missing kits?"

"It is the rogue! Hey, Miss Rogue!"

The two kits crawled out from under the fallen tree. The frightened look from her dream held no power over their expressions now.

"What were you two thinking anyway? I knew cats were stupid, but this is ridiculous!"

"Hey, we didn't do it on purpose! That pretty blue cat told us to come out here!"

"Yeah, then she just left us here!"

"Ugh, whatever. Just come on."

* * *

The three made their way back to the camp, Falene walking near perfectly on her new paws. Of course she wouldn't let herself _fall _in front of those kits! Though when she pushed through the thorn tunnel, she left yet more chocolate-colored fur behind her. She padded into the clearing, shaking herself free of burrs and leaves.

_Ugh, this is going to be the death of me. _

"Rosekit, Toadkit!"

"Where did you go?"

"Are you hurt?"

Daisy began licking her kits furiously. As soon as it became apparent that the kits were unharmed, slitted eyes turned to Falene. Behind her emerged one of the search parties. At the lead was the dark tabby tom, and supposedly the 'deputy', Brambleclaw.

"What's going on?" He asked.

A fluffy white tom stepped up. "Rosekit and Toadkit came back with the rogue."

Falene's ears flattened. "I have a name, snowball." The tom's tail swished. "I dreamed where they were, so I went and got them. No need to get your tails in a twist."

"It's true!"

"Yeah, the blue she-cat led us out!

That sent yet another murmur through the cats.

"Sheesh, enough with the group mumbling already." She rolled her eyes. "Whatever, I'm going to sleep." She walked stiffly over to her spot outside the 'medicine cat' den. _I'm really hungry now…_ She settled herself down on the hastily made nest. _Blue cat… Is Bluestar _trying_ to make my life a living hell? _Oh wait, she got turned into a cat. Duh.

* * *

When Falene woke up the next morning, the tight pain in her stomach was near unbearable. She shifted uncomfortably. A group of 'apprentices' sat by a pile of dead animals.

Falene rested her chin on her paws. Suddenly a dead squirrel was dropped in front of her eyes. Her head snapped up, her eyes meeting a pair of pale blue ones. It was the silver tabby from the day before, Jaypaw.

"Just eat the squirrel, mouse-brain." He stalked into the den.

"Hmph." She stared at the squirrel for several moments. She bent down and sniffed it. It was probably just the effects of being turned into a cat, but it smelled almost… _good._ Her nose wrinkled at the thought of eating it. But urged by the intense pain in her belly, she sunk her teeth into the rodent, tearing off a small bite. She refused to admit that a part of her was enjoying it.

Because that would be _far_ to cat-like.

But she finished eating it anyway. As she returned her head to its usual place on her paws, she wondered what was wrong with her. Saving kittens, eating squirrels. She had to be careful; if she kept on this path, she might as well be one of _them_.

… But a fleeting thought passed through her.

Would it really be so bad?

* * *

**Yay! Bluestar's meddling! **

**I want to inform you that I'll be adding a queen because I want to add some more kits to the nursery without messing with too many cats' lives. Her name's Snowfeather, and she's white with green eyes.**

**Also, I'd like to thank those of you who reviewed! I hope you continue to keep me posted on how I'm doing; Don't let me get lazy because of my FMA fic!**

**Fire Rain Alchemist out! Peace!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors, but I do own Falene, Whisperkit, and Loudkit.**

* * *

"You're saying we should try to make Falene a member of ThunderClan?" Leafpool was confused. Yes, they had taken a lot of new cats from outside the Clan as of late, but never had it been suggested by StarClan.

Bluestar nodded, "That is exactly what I'm saying. Simply start from the basics and work your way from there. Whether or not she can truly be a warrior is up to her, however."

"I'll inform Firestar."

Falene watched the cats bustle around camp with disinterest. A part of her felt grateful these cats had taken her in when she had nowhere else to go; the other was mad at the first. On top of that, those two kits, Toadkit and Rosekit, had made it their job to pester her. Their favorite toy had become the swath of pink fur over her left eye.

"Ack! Would you stop that already?!"

"But it's so weird!" Toadkit commented, taking another swing at her hair.

"It's perfectly normal where I come from, now would you _quit that?!"_

The two kits backed away a little and exchanged a glance.

…

…

…

"Nope!" The kits launched themselves at Falene.

"Agh!" The clung to her back as she tried to shake them off. "Stupid kits! Take a friggin' hint already!" She fell to her paws.

"Toadkit, Rosekit, go back to the nursery for a while." The kits squeaked and climbed off of her, scampering back to the nursery. Falene raised her head to meet bright green eyes.

"Something you need, gingy?" If her nickname for him bothered Firestar, he showed nothing of it. Of course, that made Falene a might irritated. After all, it was her job to get under the fur of people she didn't like. _Skin! _Under the _skin_ of _cats_ she didn't like.

"You have been here for almost a quarter moon. If you plan to continue staying here, you need to start doing something to support the Clan."

If Falene had had a human eyebrow, she would have raised it. "Like what? I'm not exactly here of my own volition."

The ginger tom probably suspected she was speaking of Bluestar, but he had no idea the extent of her words. "You can hunt for the Clan or you can leave. It's as simple as that. If you really don't want to be here, then you don't have to be."

Falene's ears flicked back. She didn't have much of a choice. The likeliness that that blue cat would show up long enough for Falene to box her ears and demand to be turned to normal was slim to none, and she couldn't hunt for herself. But she was still in deep denial about liking squirrel. Even if she were to agree, there was one big problem.

Firestar stood waiting for her answer. She looked up at the tom. In her best monotone voice, she said, "I don't know how to hunt. I'm not particularly interested in learning either."

That brought quite a bit of attention to her, mostly from the apprentices eating nearby.

"You'll need to learn, or you'll need to leave." Firestar repeated and waved his tail, directing a cat behind him to step forward. Falene's eyes flicked to the thick-furred gray tom. "Graystripe agreed to teach you to hunt in our territory. You'll have to start at the beginning, though."

The last sentence was directed to Graystripe. Falene growled silently. Was it so wrong that she was taking free food? She was human; she shouldn't have to hunt stupid little animals!

"Come on; better get started while it's still early!" Graystripe said cheerfully. Falene reluctantly stood and followed the warrior. Her simply getting up to actually go somewhere drew enough attention that Falene would've blushed if she were human. Her ears were placed firmly back and didn't move until a tiny sound caught her attention.

It sounded like something scraping through leaves, but she wasn't sure how far away it was. Graystripe glanced over his shoulder, noticing her madly swiveling ears. As much as the sound was bothering her, she refused to ask what it was. Graystripe sighed, causing her ears to snap forward.

"You're hearing a mouse digging." The tom answered her unspoken question. Though she didn't acknowledge that she heard him, Graystripe was sure that she had taken the information in. Which she had; she just didn't deem it worthy of a response. Her fur caught on bushes multiple times, pulling as she moved through the forest. Finally they came out into a clearing where the ground was covered in moss.

"Where-" the question word slipped from her mouth. She did the cat version of a grimace. _So much for giving him the silent treatment._ Her tail twitched in annoyance as a look of success lit Graystripe's face.

"This is the mossy hollow. We train apprentices to fight here, but we should have it to ourselves for a little while. Let's get started."

"You're tail is too high! Your rump should be just above the ground!" Graystripe corrected for what felt like the millionth time. Falene's left eye twitched. Her legs were already wobbling from holding the position she was in. She dropped her butt to the ground.

"Is this low enough for ya'?!" Her tail lashed back and forth along the ground.

"If you refuse to even try, what makes you think you'll get anywhere?"

Falene gritted her teeth, pushing her up with her back paws. Her belly was scraping the ground with her tail hovering over leaves behind her. Her whole body shook with the strain. _This is just like pushups in gym class…_, she thought irritably.

"There you go! Now move forward, slowly."

Falane stared at him, eyes wide. "You want me to _move_ in this position?!"

…

…

"Fine." She started creeping forward, her paws scraping the ground and her tail rising.

"Pick up your paws! Tail down!"

Falene flopped down in her messy nest, absolutely exhausted. Clouds had covered the sun, but it was obviously setting. They were dark, ominous. Ten minutes later-

_"What's a minute?"_

Sixty seconds. Now-

_"What's sixty seconds?"_

One second is like, one Mississippi. If you were to count seconds it'd be like, one Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi, and so on.

_"Oh. … What's a Mississippi?"_

It's a river. And don't ask me what a river is, you'll find out when you're an apprentice!

_"But that'll take forever!"_

_"WHISPERKIT, I WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS!"_

At least I named you right, Loudkit.

Anyway, ten minutes later, also known as six hundred seconds, kits- Don't you _dare _try to interrupt me again! Raindrops began falling on her. Needless to say, she was very soon very wet. Her fur clung to her, chilling her to the bone. Most of the other cats not on some form of 'patrol' had retreated inside their dens. Falene closed her eyes, trying to ignore the rain. Though it wasn't working, she was able to imagine herself in the rain as human, the way she was _supposed_ to be.

"What are you doing out in the rain?" A cat scoffed, and when she looked up, it was none other than Jaypaw. She had heard the kits mention that Jaypaw was blind, but the way he stared at her made her wonder.

"I'm laying down." She stated. Jaypaw gave her a 'no duh' look. Well, the cat equivalent.

"Come on. Wouldn't want you getting sick and taking up _more _Clan resources." He turned and began walking into the den. After a moment of thought, Falene followed.

"I didn't _ask_ for your help, you know." She shook her coat free of water. _Didn't ask to be turned into a cat either._

"And I didn't tell Leafpool to help you." Falene's ears flicked off a drop of water as she rolled her eyes. "There's a spare nest over there." Jaypaw pointed with his tail, and Falene tried to ignore that pointing was an interspecies action.

"Whatever." She climbed into the nest, being sure not to circle at all. She closed her eyes immediately.

There was something about Jaypaw that unnerved her. There was something… something that set him apart from the other cats of 'ThunderClan'. Oh no, she still hated him as much as the rest of him, but simply from an observational standpoint. And she wasn't talking about him being blind.

She shook her head. It was probably just an aftereffect of the whole species-change thing.

She was surprised at how quickly her coat was drying. If she had been human, it would have taken her twice as long for only half as dry… What was she thinking? If she was human, she wouldn't have been in the rain in the first place!

She sighed, willing her thoughts to let her sleep. The steady patter of rain acting as a lullaby, she quickly fell into unconsciousness.

* * *

**So, if you didn't notice, this story is being told by a mysterious unknown cat to two kits, Loudkit and Whisperkit. Also, a quarter moon is a week. (I had to look that one up myself, embarrassingly.)**

**Review, and if you have any guesses on the narrator cat, you should tell me! It's like, really super hard! (Not.)**


End file.
